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What do you think is ‘fair’? Effects of ingroup norms and outcome control on fairness judgments
Author(s) -
Hertel Guido,
Aarts Henk,
Zeelenberg Marcel
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
european journal of social psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.609
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1099-0992
pISSN - 0046-2772
DOI - 10.1002/ejsp.92
Subject(s) - psychology , ingroups and outgroups , social psychology , categorization , normative , reciprocity (cultural anthropology) , outcome (game theory) , context (archaeology) , epistemology , paleontology , philosophy , mathematics , mathematical economics , biology
Two studies are reported that examine whether fairness judgments in dyadic exchange situations are influenced by descriptive ingroup norms or the interdependence structure of the exchange situation. In both studies, these factors were varied within a minimal group categorization paradigm. Results showed that ingroup norms affected fairness judgments when participants interacted with another group member and interaction outcomes could be affected by this partner. However, in interactions with group members who could not influence the outcome of the partners no effects of ingroup norms were observed. Together, the results suggest that persons do not simply assimilate their fairness judgments to the normative context of their group, but adapt fairness judgments rather strategically to the expected behavior of their interaction partner in order to maintain general equality or reciprocity principles. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.